Collection Inventory

Series VII.United States Attorney for Western Pennsylvania, 1969-1975

Scope and Content Notes:

Richard Thornburgh was sworn in as the United States Attorney for Western Pennsylvania on June 4, 1969. "Marking, as it did, my first ascendance to full-time public office, the ceremony was particularly memorable for me and I felt a special sense of awe in swearing to 'uphold the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,' a challenge that was to prove worthy of my every effort over the next six years" ("Evidence" draft, p. 145).

Coincidentally the Pennsylvania Crime Commission released a major report on organized crime in the Commonwealth the very day Thornburgh's appointment was announced, thus making fighting organized crime Thornburgh's top priority from the outset. Organized crime was deeply entrenched in many facets of Western Pennsylvania business and politics including $4-6 million said to be paid illegally to Allegheny County law enforcement officials. Thornburgh "set forth plans for stepped-up antiracketeering efforts, including better coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local agencies, as well as the use of a special strike force to concentrate federal efforts" (
Evidence, p. 41). "By the time I left office in mid-1975, we had mounted an unprecedented effort against corruption at the federal, state and local levels" (
Evidence, p. 48).

Among the high profile cases handled under Thornburgh tenure was the case of official corruption of Pittsburgh District Attorney Robert Duggan, who ultimately took his own life rather than face prosecution. Other major cases included names such as Grosso, Mazzei, Hilton, Ferraro, Iannelli, Ferrone, La Rocca, Torquato and Bruno. In addition to racketeering and public corruption, the illegal drug traffic issue was a major target as were civil rights/police brutality cases and environmental litigation. "These public corruption cases were a high priority for the office and for me personally as I felt that betrayal of the public trust was so subversive of our democratic processes. I was equally proud that Democrats and Republicans alike were, if corrupt, pursued with equal vigor, as we sought in all cases to truly 'follow the evidence wherever it leads'" ("Evidence" draft, p. 195).

Public recognition of Thornburgh's success as U.S. Attorney was evidenced by the Pittsburgh
Post Gazette's article entitled "Silver Knight of Area Law Enforcement." This and other such favorable publicity about Thornburgh's prosecution of corruption and racketeering cases, in particular, led to his appointment in March 1975, as Assistant Attorney General and head of the Criminal Division in Washington, an opportunity he could not pass up. "The six years I spent in the U.S. Attorney's office had not only developed my professional lawyering skills, but had given me new insights into the challenges of public management ... [and were] the happiest of my professional life" (
Evidence, p. 60, and 219).

Speeches, available online, are arranged chronologically and titles include: speech title (when designated), group or event to which it was delivered, and location. Thornburgh delivered these U.S. Attorney speeches at various professional, political, and community occasions. Related information will be found here in "Events." The speech files contain both final copies of the delivered speeches and Thornburgh's drafts, where they existed.

Box 33

Folder

1

"The Continuing American Revolution," Pittsburgh Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Pittsburgh, PA September 17, 1969

Folder

2

"Are We Really Serious About the Crime Problem?" University of Pittsburgh Law Review, Pittsburgh, PA March 19, 1970

Folder

3

"Role of the Federal Government in Drug Abuse: Research, Education and Law Enforcement," Seminar on the Drug Abuse Problem in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA May 16, 1970

Folder

4

"Metropolitan Government - Would you Repeat the Question, Please?" University of Pittsburgh's Intercollegiate Conference on Government, Pittsburgh, PA October 22, 1970

"The American Dream: What Does America Have to Look Forward to?" May 26, 1975

Folder

41

Commission on the Review of the National Policy Toward Gambling, Philadelphia, PA May 29, 1975

Folder

42

"The Threat of Organized Crime in Western PA "We Are all Victims" " 1969-1975

Folder

43

"A Meet Person Learned in the Law: Changing Priorities in the United States Attorney's Office" 1969-1975

Folder

44

"Partisan Politics and Law Enforcement" 1969-1975

Subseries 2.News Releases

Scope and Content Notes:

The releases are arranged chronologically and titles consist of a brief summary of the content of the news release. They pertain to subjects such as: organized crime and racketeering, official corruption, fraud, tax evasion and embezzlement. Releases also cover announcements concerning the actions of the Strike Forces on organized crime, narcotics and dangerous drugs, and gambling. "News Releases" and "Public Statements" were issued separately by the Office of the U.S. Attorney of Western Pennsylvania, and all are available here online. "Public Statements," in contrast to "News Releases," pertain less to specific cases but more generally to policies, and issues.

Folder

45

July 1-December 6, 1969

Folder

46

January-July, 1970

Box 34

Folder

1

July-December, 1970

Folder

2

January-June, 1971

Folder

3

July-September, 1971

Folder

4

October-December, 1971

Folder

5

January-March, 1972

Folder

6

April-June, 1972

Folder

7

July-September, 1972

Folder

8

October-December, 1972

Folder

9

January-March, 1973

Box 35

Folder

1

April-June, 1973

Folder

2

July-September, 1973

Folder

3

October-December, 1973

Folder

4

January-March, 1974

Folder

5

April-June, 1974

Folder

6

July-September, 1974

Folder

7

October-December, 1974

Folder

8

January-March, 1975

Folder

9

May-July, 1975

Folder

10

Press Releases: Allegheny County Detectives 1971 - 1973

Subseries 3.Public Statements

Scope and Content Notes:

The public statements are arranged chronologically and titles consist of a brief summary of the content. These statements contain policy and issue information, and relate to programs and actions of the Office of the U.S. Attorney. Topics include, for example: organized crime, narcotics and dangerous drugs, official corruption, actions of the strike forces, and the criminal justice system. These public statements relate in content and format to the news releases both of which are available here online.

Box 36

Folder

1

1969

Folder

2

1970

Folder

3

1971

Folder

4

1972

Folder

5

1973

Folder

6

1974

Folder

7

1975

Subseries 4.Events

Scope and Content Notes:

Folders in this subseries are arranged chronologically by month. Each folder contains materials related to events that Thornburgh attended while he served as U.S. Attorney. Events include: speaking engagements, dinners, ceremonies, conferences, and symposia. Event materials include invitations, correspondence, memoranda, issue background, annotated notes, and ephemera.

Folder

8

1969

Folder

9

January, 1970

Folder

10

February, 1970

Folder

11

March, 1970

Folder

12

April, 1970

Box 37

Folder

1

May, 1970

Folder

2

June, 1970

Folder

3

July, 1970

Folder

4

August, 1970

Folder

5

September, 1970

Folder

6

October, 1970

Folder

7

November, 1970

Folder

8

December, 1970

Folder

9

January, 1971

Folder

10

February, 1971

Folder

11

March, 1971

Folder

12

April, 1971

Folder

13

May, 1971

Folder

14

June, 1971

Folder

15

July, 1971

Folder

16

August, 1971

Folder

17

September, 1971

Folder

18

October, 1971

Folder

19

November, 1971

Folder

20

December, 1971

Folder

21

January, 1972

Folder

22

February, 1972

Folder

23

March, 1972

Folder

24

April, 1972

Folder

25

May, 1972

Folder

26

June, 1972

Folder

27

July, 1972

Folder

28

August, 1972

Folder

29

September, 1972

Folder

30

October, 1972

Folder

31

November, 1972

Folder

32

January, 1973

Folder

33

February, 1973

Folder

34

March, 1973

Box 38

Folder

1

April, 1973

Folder

2

May, 1973

Folder

3

June, 1973

Folder

4

July, 1973

Folder

5

August, 1973

Folder

6

September, 1973

Folder

7

October, 1973

Folder

8

November, 1973

Folder

9

December, 1973

Folder

10

January, 1974

Folder

11

February, 1974

Folder

12

March, 1974

Folder

13

April, 1974

Folder

14

May, 1974

Folder

15

June, 1974

Folder

16

July, 1974

Folder

17

August, 1974

Folder

18

September, 1974

Folder

19

October, 1974

Folder

20

November, 1974

Folder

21

December, 1974

Folder

22

January, 1975

Folder

23

February, 1975

Folder

24

March, 1975

Folder

25

April, 1975

Folder

26

May, 1975

Folder

27

June, 1975

Subseries 5.Correspondence

Scope and Content Notes:

The correspondence files consist of the four groupings originally maintained by the U.S. Attorney's office. First, congratulatory correspondence, arranged chronologically. Secondly, also in chronological order by month, is correspondence to and from Thornburgh. Third, there is alphabetically arranged correspondence, for example: A-D, June 1969-June 1975. Both the chronological and alphabetical files contain correspondence to and from Thornburgh and may have some overlap. Fourth, there is correspondence separated by either to or from Thornburgh.

Section: Congratulatory Correspondence

Folder

28

May 6, 1969-June 5, 1969

Folder

29

June 6, 1969-August 14, 1969

Section: Chronological Correspondence

Box 39

Folder

1

June 5, 1969-October 3, 1969

Folder

2

October 6, 1969-December 31, 1969

Folder

3

January 2,1970 -March 31, 1970

Folder

4

April 1, 1970-June 30, 1970

Folder

5

July 1, 1970-October 30, 1970

Folder

6

November 2, 1970-December 30, 1970

Folder

7

January 4, 1971-March 31, 1971

Folder

8

April 1, 1971-July 30, 1971

Folder

9

August 2, 1971-October 29, 1971

Folder

10

November 1, 1971-December 29, 1971

Folder

11

January 3, 1972-March 31, 1972

Folder

12

April 3, 1972-July 31, 1972

Folder

13

August 1, 1972-December 31, 1972

Folder

14

January 2, 1973-April 30, 1973

Folder

15

May 1, 1973-September 28, 1973

Folder

16

October 1, 1973-December 26, 1973

Folder

17

January 3, 1974-April 30, 1974

Folder

18

May 1, 1974-August 30, 1974

Folder

19

September 3, 1974-December 31, 1974

Folder

20

January 1, 1975-March 28, 1975

Folder

21

April 1, 1975-July 3, 1975

Section: Alphabetical Correspondence

Box 40

Folder

1

A-D June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

2

E-H June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

3

I-L June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

4

M-P June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

5

Q-S June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

6

T-V June, 1969-June, 1975

Folder

7

W-Z June, 1969-June, 1975

Section: Correspondence To and From Thornburgh

Folder

8

Correspondence to and from Thornburgh June 11, 1969-December 30, 1970

Folder

9

Correspondence to and from Thornburgh January 5, 1971-December 23, 1971

Folder

10

Correspondence to and from Thornburgh January 3, 1972-December 29, 1972

Folder

11

Correspondence to and from Thornburgh January, 1973-July, 1975

Folder

12

Correspondence from Thornburgh 1970-1975

Folder

13

Correspondence to Thornburgh 1971-1977

Subseries 6.United States Attorney of Western Pennsylvania's Files

Scope and Content Notes:

These files contain information kept close at hand by Thornburgh for his personal reference. Here, for example, is the transcript of his swearing in ceremony, accomplishments of his time as USA, annotated issue materials, Thornburgh articles written and published, staff notes and committee reports of significance, including some related to the strike forces. These files serve as an interesting personal overview of Thornburgh's years as U.S. Attorney.

Box 41

Folder

1

Thornburgh Biographies 1969-1975

Folder

2

Thornburgh, U.S. Attorney, miscellaneous 1969-1975

Folder

3

Appointment and reappointment, U.S. Attorney 1969, 1973

Folder

4

Transcription of "Swearing In Ceremony of Richard L. Thornburgh as United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania" June 6, 1969

"Representative Examples of Threats to Government Witnesses in Federal Prosecutions 1970-1975" submitted by Thornburgh, Chairman of the Legislation and Court Rules Subcommittee, Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys" March 31, 1975

Folders here are arranged chronologically, each of which contains several months of memoranda from June 1969 through July 1975. The first section is a miscellaneous group of memoranda from various persons at DOJ, several related to the USA Advisory Committee, and three from Scarlata, a Thornburgh staff attorney. All the remaining and numerous memoranda are an intriguing array sent by Thornburgh to staff members or "to file" and cover a wide range of topics, especially including cases. Since actual case files ultimately were kept by the Office, these memoranda serve as the only internal reference to these notable cases. The memoranda were used generally by Thornburgh to communicate updates and information on criminal activities, criminal cases, investigations, allegations, and procedures to staff and colleagues.

Folders here are arranged chronologically and include minutes and reports from the Advisory Committee (AGAC) meetings (1974-1975). "For the first time in the [Justice] Department's history, [AG Richardson] established a mechanism for the systematic input of the ninety-three U.S. Attorneys into the Attorney General's office. The AG's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys was made of a dozen representative holders of that office and became, over the years, a valuable sounding board for a succession of Attorney Generals. I was among the first appointed to the Committee" ("Evidence" draft, p. 196).

Thornburgh's principal contribution was to co-chair a Subcommittee on Field Offices, the final report of which, dated February 15, 1974, is included here. Most of the focus of this inquiry was on the "Strike Forces" operated out of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the Department's Criminal Division (see "Strike Forces Subcommittee" files here). Materials include: memoranda, reports and annotated articles. Topics covered in this subseries may overlap with Thornburgh's subsequent work as the Assistant Attorney General (1975-1977) in charge of the Criminal Division.

Section: Minutes

Folder

23

The Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys (AGAC) First and Second Reports and Recommendations to the Attorney General 1974-1975

"The United States Attorney's Advisory Committee to the Attorney General of the U.S. Report of Subcommittee on Department of Justice Field Office Operations: Concepts and Relationships with U.S. Attorneys" February 15, 1974

Folder

3-5

AGAC: reports, memoranda, teletypes, annotated articles 1973-1975

Subseries 9.Strike Force Subcommittee of the Attorney General's United States Attorneys Advisory Committee

Scope and Content Notes:

These are the files of the Subcommittee on Field Offices, known familiarly as the "strike force" subcommittee. The materials primarily evaluate the effectiveness of strike forces within various U.S. Attorney jurisdictions. These includes memoranda, teletypes, correspondence, news releases, reports, annotated articles and the questionnaire that Thornburgh issued to all of the U.S. Attorneys for evaluation of the Organized Crime Strike Forces in their districts. The final reports of this subcommittee are included with the above "Advisory Committee" files.

Strike Forces are federal teams comprised of investigators and prosecutors who combine their efforts in a single geographic area with a significant organized crime problem in an attempt to control organized crime and racketeering activities within that area. "The 'Strike Forces' had become institutionalized and expanded under [Attorney General] John Mitchell to the point that considerable friction had developed in a number of areas over 'turf' issues and the allocation of cases between the U.S. Attorney, the presidentially-appointed chief law enforcement officer for the district, and the local 'Strike Force' chief, appointed by and responsible to the Attorney General ... Our report, ultimately recommended that the 'Strike Forces' be returned to their original status as 'trouble-shooting' teams and that the role of the U.S.Attorney as the chief federal law enforcement officer in his community be reaffirmed" ("Evidence" draft, p. 196-7).

Files of the other subcommittees of the Attorney General's U.S. Attorneys Advisory Committee follow here. Also see "Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division" files on Strike Forces.

Folder

6

President's Advisory Council on Executive Organization: Report on the Effectiveness of the Executive Branch in Combating Organized Crime: Strike Force Section October 16, 1969

Folder

7

Strike Force reports 1969-1976

Folder

8-9

Memoranda Regarding Strike Force/Organized Crime 1969-1970, 1973-1975

Folder

10

Office of the Attorney General: Order no. 431-70 Establishing Guidelines Governing Interrelationships Between Strike Forces and U.S. Attorneys' Offices April 20, 1970

Folder

11-12

Questionnaires received from United States Attorneys in areas with a Strike Force (and commentary) 1973

Folder

13

Results of U.S. Attorneys' Answers to Strike Force Questionnaire 1973-1974

Folder

14

Correspondence from Strike Force Head 1973-1974

Folder

15

Strike Force related correspondence to and from Thornburgh 1973-1975

Folder

16

Strike Force teletypes to and from Thornburgh 1973-1975

Folder

17

Thornburgh notes on Strike Force 1973-1975

Folder

18

Thornburgh's Strike Force Committee working file 1973-1976

Subseries 10.Subcommittees of the Attorney General's United States Attorneys Advisory Committee

Scope and Content Notes:

These files are arranged by five subcommittees of the Attorney General's U.S. Attorneys Advisory Committee: Subcommittee on Legislation and Court Rules (also see USA Thornburgh files), Subcommittee on Allocation of Case Responsibility and Resources, Subcommittee on Communications and Training, Subcommittee on Investigative Agencies, and the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice. Materials here include memoranda, teletypes, correspondence, news releases, reports and speeches with Thornburgh annotations throughout. Files for the Field Offices Subcommittee that reviewed strike forces are in the separate above section.

Box 44

Folder

1-2

Subcommittee on Legislation and Court Rules 1973-1974

Folder

3

Subcommittee on Allocation of Case Responsibility and Resources 1973-1974

Folders in this subseries are arranged chronologically and most of the materials are newspaper clippings collected by Thornburgh since the "official" legal case files remain with the U.S. Attorney's Office. It should be noted, however, that there are extremely interesting references to cases in the "Memoranda" section. The cases involve official corruption in Pennsylvania government, organized crime and racketeering. The bulk of the material focuses on the official corruption case involving District Attorney Robert Duggan, chief of Pittsburgh's Racket Squad.

The Issue References are grouped by topics as follow: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Other Issues, and Reports. The bulk of the materials in this subseries are newspaper clippings, but files also include magazine articles, news releases and reports. Narcotics and dangerous drugs constitute the largest topic. "Other topics" includes mental health and gun control. "Reports" include both published and unpublished materials on issues related to USA Office.

Section: Other Issues

Box 45

Folder

1

Narcotics and dangerous drugs (annotated) 1969-1972

Folder

2

Speech notes 1969-1970

Folder

3

Federal Proposals and Action (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

4

International (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

5

Law Enforcement (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

6

Pennsylvania Agencies and Legislation (annotated) 1969-1975

Folder

7

Rehabilitation and Treatment (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

8

Research (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

9

Narcotics and dangerous drugs: Pittsburgh (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

10

Clippings (annotated) 1969-1975

Folder

11

Articles and News Releases (annotated) 1969-1975

Folder

12

Marijuana (annotated) 1969

Folder

13

Methadone Treatment for Heroin Addiction (annotated) 1969-1970

Folder

14

Chatham College Drug Lectures 1970-1973

Folder

15

Narcotics and dangerous drugs: New York (annotated) 1970

Folder

16

Senate Committee Hearings, Pittsburgh, PA January 18-19, 1971

Folder

17

Mental Health (annotated) 1973

Folder

18

Gun Control (annotated) 1972-1974

Section: Reports

Folder

19

"The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society," by the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice February, 1967

Folder

20

"Preliminary Draft of Proposed Rules of Evidence for the United States District Courts and Magistrates," by the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States March, 1969

Folder

21

"Measures Relating to Organized Crime," Hearings before the Subcommittee on Criminal Laws and Procedures of the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. Senate March, 1969, June, 1969

Folder

22

"Organized Crime Control Acts of 1969 and 1970," Reports of the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. Senate 1969, 1971

Folder

23

"What YOU Should Know About Drugs and Narcotics," by Alton Blakeslee, The Associated Press 1969